Chris Jericho was a recent guest on the Ross Report with legendary WWE broadcast Jim Ross, and he spoke about his working relationship with Vince McMahon, as well as whether the Kevin Owens program will go down as his last in WWE.
Jericho credits Vince for creating an environment where hard work is rewarded.
“When you work for Vince McMahon, there is a work ethic that is instilled in you that's second to none. Anybody that comes through that system -- if you have talent-- you will work extra hard to make things happen. I'm talking about everybody from Jesse Ventura becoming the Governor of Minnesota -- Mick Foley becoming a New York Times Best Selling Author, The Rock, Batista, John Cena, you, me, there's a work ethic that is instilled in us that has enabled it all to happen.
“I really love working for Vince McMahon. I have a great relationship with him now, and have for the past 5-6 years. It’s actually really fun to see the creative side of Vince. To go in there and disagree and agree and not have to worry. Vince always tells me that he doesn’t care where he is, to come and talk to him. That is a great position to be in.”
Jericho says the future of WWE is in good shape, as so many of the young guys have the right attitude.
“A lot of the young guys that are coming through the system now, it reminds me of my guys-- Dean (Malenko), Chris (Benoit), Rey (Mysterio), Eddie (Guerrero), those guys. Really good workers who only cared about the matches and not about the ego. A lot of them still need help with experiences that I have that others don’t have at this point.”
Y2J loved working with Kevin Owens during their extended program, both as friends and rivals.
“The run I had in 2016 with Kevin Owens and the Festival of Friendship and all that, it was.. one of my top two favorite runs. Once it ended, I knew I needed to get away for a while because there was nothing that can compare to that. It’s good to step away and step aside for a bit, but when the time comes I am sure I will be back, but until then I am so busy that you will be seeing me all the time anyway.”
Jericho came back for one match on the July 25 edition of SmackDown, and ended up taking the pinfall in a triple threat match for the US Title. He hasn't been back since, but if you ask him if he's retiring, he's got a very definitive answer.
“No, I am not there; never."
You can listen to the entire podcast at this link.
